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Sam Dutcher

Sam Dutcher

West Fargo, North Dakota man who, at age 18 in September 2024, survived a runaway 2022 Honda Pilot incident in Minnesota — his story was featured on KQED's Snap Judgment and Close All Tabs podcasts.

Jul 9, 2026

Snap Judgment

Snap Judgment

Vroom - All Systems Down

Jul 9 · 58m

Bo WalshCORRESPONDENT
10:39
[tense music]
Sam Dutcher
Sam DutcherGUEST
10:42
It's really narrow, only wide enough for two cars.
Sam Dutcher
Sam DutcherGUEST
10:47
People realized something's not right.
Sam Dutcher
Sam DutcherGUEST
10:52
[horn honking] A lot of it there was a good chunk of oncoming traffic, so I was passing on the shoulder, not nicely by any means.
Sam Dutcher
Sam DutcherGUEST
11:06
But it was enough for him to get around the vehicle.
Sam Dutcher
Sam DutcherGUEST
11:12
That was scary because going around on the shoulder where it's pretty much loose gravel, the tires started spinning and losing traction.

19 MINS LATER

Bo WalshCORRESPONDENT
30:34
He tried to stay focused on the road and not imagine the worst.
Sam Dutcher
Sam DutcherGUEST
30:39
I don't feel there was really room to think about what could happen.

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